I-90 plan details to be aired at Sun City open house

HUNTLEY – Residents will have a five-hour opportunity Monday to learn about the $69 million Interstate 90-Route 47 interchange project and meet with the state officials overseeing its construction.

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and Sun City Huntley will host the informational open house from 1 to 6 p.m. in the retirement community’s Prairie Lodge, 12880 Del Webb Boulevard.

Kristi Lafleur, executive director for the tollway, will lead a presentation during the first hour of the event on the full interchange project and the authority’s planned expansion of Interstate 90, as part of the tollway’s $12 billion infrastructure plan.

Residents then can visit the Prairie Lodge until 6 p.m. to view informational displays on the I-90-Route 47 interchange and ask tollway officials about the project, which should be completed by next summer. The event is open to the public.

“We are excited to talk about this interchange project that will improve the quality of life for residents in Kane and McHenry counties,” Lafleur said in a news release. “Our model for success has been to work in collaboration with local governments and communities, so we appreciate hearing what our customers, businesses and residents have to say ... on this project.”

Huntley officials worked nearly two decades in getting state and local support for the multimillion-dollar interchange project. The full interchange will create direct access to Huntley from eastbound and westbound I-90 traffic.

The project already has attracted businesses, such as LionHeart Engineering in Woodstock and Impact Plastics in Elgin, to Huntley. Local officials expect more development to come once construction concludes.

The tollway also regards this project as the model for future construction projects included in its $12 billion infrastructure plan, since it’s Illinois’ first “green” interchange and garnered the financial support from state, county and local entities.